1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns pressure-sensitive compositions comprising conductive particles distributed in dielectric elastomer. The compositions and devices that employ them can be connected in an electronic circuit and compressed to control circuit current.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pressure-sensitive elastic resistors are commonly made by dispersing conductive particles in elastomer, disposing the resultant composition as a layer, and providing surface electrodes. Application of pressure results in the decrease from a relatively high standby resistance to a low resistance of less than 100 ohms. None of the common elastic resistors which contain particles of relatively soft materials such as silver and gold is entirely satisfactory. There is a need, then, for elastic resistor compositions that can be made simply and quickly, routinely disposed as thin layers, and provided with electrodes to achieve standardized performance over a wide range of pressure.